In an article in The Atlantic magazine, humorist Mark Twain quoted a sing-songy bit of doggerel about conductors punching railroad fares that illustrates how colored paper has long been used to encode information. This is part of a complete episode...
okada rider n.— «In the main square of Makeni, a couple of hours’ drive into the jungle from Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, young men sit around on their motorbikes, chatting, joking and swapping cigarettes. These are the town’s taxi...
ecoflation n.— «The findings are based on “future analysis” of how much certain commodities will go up, including oil, cereal, soy and palm oil, and how they will fare under certain environmental, governmental policy and climate situations. The...
wealth-fare n.— «As Thomas reports, institutional bias in agencies such as the Veterans Administration has, in the more recent past, denied many black families the stability, the status and the tax advantages of home ownership. Those kinds of...
flag drop n.— «The rate increase is the first since 2005, and the second since the Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) assumed regulatory authority of local taxis that same year. Though the initial fare, commonly called the “flag drop,” will...
pay to throw v. phr.— «The most successful curbside programs give residents who recycle a reward—lower garbage rates. With three garbage cans, for example, you pay full fare. With one can of trash and one of recycling, you pay less. Both city...
